Jin’s face blackened and he almost coughed blood.

What Spirit of Blue Flower Trees?!

These hoodlums weren’t any better than brothel workers! They didn’t even dress appropriately! This was an insult to the memory of his Sister!

“Deep breaths Jin, deep breaths!” Mei Hua scooted closer, a worried look on her face. “They don’t mean anything by it, they’re just happy to have bodies on the outside— I mean, they could only have bodies in my world— ah, what was that place anyway? The point being, this is the first time they manifested bodies that everyone could see. They’re just happy and it’s making them mischievous.”

Jin covered his face with his hand, taking deep breaths as his wife instructed.

“Do you mean to say… these… Spirits… have been living in your world?”

“Ah… well… I did invite them so… yes. Yes they have.”

“Why would you do that! Look at them! They’re punks!”

“Who are you calling a punk?”

“GAH!”

Shuya had suddenly appeared right next to Mei Hua, as if out of thin air.

“Will. You. Stop! That.”

“Hmmmmm? Stop what?”

“You know perfectly well ‘what’.”

Her eyes twinkled happily.

“But it’s fun to hara— tease you!”

Temper already at its limit, his hand lashed out like a whip before he could stop himself. To his frustration, just like before, he felt nothing.

Shuya snickered and then wagged her finger at him.

“No matter how hard you try, you can’t touch me. Your sister is Yin, you’re Yang. Your Sister made our souls from that Yin energy, which you have no control over. No matter how much you try, if we don’t want you to touch us, you can’t touch us.”

Jin blinked, his eyes narrowing, and then let out a single sarcastic laugh.

“Ha! That’s right. You’re a spirit of a tree raised by my Sister. Just as you said, of course I can’t hit you.”

Shuya nodded smugly while Mei Hua’s forehead wrinkled. She felt there was something odd in that entire conversation, but couldn’t figure out what it was.

“But that’s just your spirit. If I find your physical body, your tree,” Jin leaned towards Shuya, a dangerous look in his eye, “that’s a different matter, isn’t it? No matter how arrogant you are, all life on this mountain came from us, and in the end I have control over it. Even the trees my Sister loved so dearly.”

A look of frustrated anger flashed across Shuya’s face before she could stop herself. She knew he’d figure it out eventually, but she’d hoped for a little longer to torment him with impunity. He was absolutely right and she was loath to admit it.

When Jin saw her expression, he smirked knowingly. Shuya’s fingers twitched as the desire to tear that smug look off his face rose within her. Instead she leaned forward, mirroring his aggressive body position.

“Even if you know, you’d still have to find me. Just you try, you—”

“Woah woah, both of you!” Mei Hua had gradually gotten squished between the two of them as they moved in to threaten each other. Pushing them apart hastily, she complained huffily, “Would you two please try to get along? Shuya, you’ve already picked on Jin enough, leave him alone. And Jin… ah, please don’t threaten her like that. I know she’s being annoying… but please don’t!”

Jin harrumphed while Shuya muttered angrily.

“Please… you two… for my sake at least?” She made her eyes wide and pleading, trying to look as adorable as possible. “Please?”

This caused both of them to go silent. Both Jin and Shuya had a soft spot for Mei Hua.

The crowd below had been watching the entire thing; the humans in particular were stunned speechless. Emperor Huang wasn’t known for being lovable or silly, but he was being exactly that with the return of his wife. They were having some problems reconciling the feared Fairy Emperor with the man being pulled along at his wife’s whims.

The fairies and beasties were used to this sort of behavior, and were actually relieved to see their Emperor and Master’s temper ease. Since his wife had fallen ill, he’d been cranky and hard to please. As for Shuya and these strange “Spirits”, they didn’t know what to think. Their Master didn’t like them, but Lady Mei Hua did, which was making it hard for them to take sides.

Except for one beastie.

The oldest buck, and also by proxy the leader of the beasties, was staring intently at Shuya. A suspicion about who “Shuya” was had slowly turned into conviction as he watched her behavior. The body may have changed, but that attitude and personality could only belong to one person. His eyes narrowed and he moved forward slightly.

In the silence, Shuya glanced down and saw the buck blatantly staring at her. She blushed slightly, a sense of guilt and embarrassment coming over her. When the old buck looked like he was going to say something, she panicked and distractedly said to Jin:

“Little Sister is right. We must get along! We’re allies now, so we must at least try.” She cleared her throat nervously. “…try at the very least..”

Jin squinted, instantly suspicious of her overtures of friendliness.

“And what are you fighting me for? The celebration hasn’t even properly started, now that all the family is here, the gifts must be presented!”

“Oy, who’s fighting who—” He stopped and frowned, “Gifts? What gifts?”

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“Oh yes, Shuya mentioned gifts!” Mei Hua eyes shined with excitement. Shuya had been mentioning giving her gifts to help motivate her when she’d gotten discouraged. While the childish glee over gifts had more or less vanished, Mei Hua’s curiosity remained.

Shuya grinned at her Little Sister’s reactions, waving her hand to the Tree Spirits below. They all shuffled aside, many hopping onto roofs to make room, leaving an empty circle.

“That’s right, I said I’d give you gifts, so of course I will.”

She clapped her hands and an instant later five people appeared. Around their feet were dozens of pure white foxes, all with two tails or more. The little foxes yipped nervously at the sudden crowd that appeared around them.

An elderly man in a simply white hanfu and a slim white beard that hung all the way down to his knees shuffled forward from out among the foxes. In his arms he carried a five tailed fox that was bigger than the rest.

“It took you long enough.” The elderly fellow grumped at Shuya. “I thought I was going to pass out from waiting so long.”

“Ah yes, doing nothing is so very exhausting.” Shuya responded, only just managing to restrain herself from rolling her eyes.

“Don’t get smart with me, tree child. We had a deal.”

“Yes, and you haven’t finished your end of it.”

He clucked his tongue rudely at her while muttering “Bothersome”. Then he took a single hop-step forward and floated in the air, gliding forward until he was a few feet from Jin and Mei Hua.

Holding the white five tailed fox out, he said impatiently to it, “Get on with it.”

“G-Greetings Emperor of the F-Fairies, Mighty S-Spirit of the Mountains, and C-Conqueror of th-the East,” Came a sweet youthful voice that trembled, “Greetings B-Beloved Wife of the E-Emperor, Im-Imperial Mother t-to the P-Princes.”

Mei Hua felt like she’d been hit with an arrow… of cuteness, and speaking from prior experience she liked this one much more. Of course she’d seen mountain foxes before and they were cute in a wild, cunning way. But this white, five tailed fox had wide silver eyes (currently cast down respectfully), large fluffy ears, a tiny little snout with a coal black nose, and fur so soft looking it made anyone who saw it want to stick their fingers in it. She clasped her hands together in a noble effort to resist the urge to do just that.

Jin, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised that this little fox knew how to greet people of authority properly. Since it was associated with Shuya, he’d not expected anything even halfway decent to come out of its mouth.

Seeing that it was properly nervous in his presence—which also pleased him—he decided to be magnanimous towards it.

“And why has the Twig—”

“Shuya! My name is Shuya!”

“—the Twig Shuya brought you here?”

Without looking up, head still bowed, the charming fox gulped before speaking.

“T-this humble little fox and her clan have come to p-present t-themselves as a gift to the g-gracious and b-beautiful Imperial Princess Consort Bao.”

“Me?” Mei Hua pointed at herself in surprise.

Jin couldn’t help narrowing his eyes.

“You’re making your entire clan a gift?”

“Yes, Great and Mighty One.”

“Why?” Jin asked sharply. No matter how polite, this fox was related to that damn twig, which meant it could not be easily trusted. If it lied or told half-truths, he’d kicked it out without any remorse.

“Imperial Majesty is wise to ask, very wise.” The little fox’s ears quivered. “Th-this humble one, and all the li—little ones below, are o-orphans from Jianghu. I-It is not s-safe for us th-there. W-we heard that the Fairy Emperor is most benevolent and generous. If w-we little ones offered ourselves up, we were told that s-surely Your Imperial Majesty w-would give us a new ho-home.”

The fox sincerely believed every single thing it was saying, Jin could tell. Mei Hua grabbed Jin’s sleeve and tugged it, a compassionate look on her face at hearing the fox’s story. He sighed inwardly, knowing Mei Hua was already on the fox’s side and that meant he would be too.

Fighting the inevitable, he asked with a grave face and a stern voice, “And who told you that this Emperor would give you a place to stay just for asking nicely?”

The fox kit’s whole body shook badly in fear. Mei Hua started pinching him ruthlessly on the arm and mouthed silently “Don’t bully!”. He could only shake his head helplessly to show his innocence. He’d only been a little harsh, it barely counted as bullying!

“Th-the World Tree, Imperial Majesty.”

Jin was in the middle of grabbing Mei’s pinching fingers to protect himself when he heard this. His face stiffened and his eyes narrowed. Out of the corner of his eye he could see one of his oldest deer also focus his attention on the fox child.

“World Tree? As in the Tree of Wisdom?” The Fox kit nodded. “When did you talk to this tree?”

“Not e—even a few h—hours ago, Fairy Emperor.”

“So it’s alive then.”

“Of course?” The white fox tilted her head cutely, confused.

Jin looked down at his old deer and saw the deer-turned-man looking at Shuya with a face so full of anger it was almost black. Puzzled about this, he looked at Shuya, only to be astonished. That rebellious rude twig was completely red in the face, looking anywhere but at the buck, sweating profusely.

Then it occurred to him.

Ah….

Shuya was the World Tree.

There had been some guesses and theories that Shuya and the World Tree might be one and the same. But he’d found the World Tree rotted and decaying, dead. He’d abandoned the idea with that discovery.

The buck had told him, the World Tree was the first tree his Sister changed. Jin hadn’t known, as he never paid attention to plants. No wonder Shuya called herself “Ancient One”, even he had trouble remembering that far back. He also understood her rude behavior. Shuya’s anger was in proportion to her love for his Sister. A love that had lasted for eons… how could the grief that resulted from such a love simply be forgotten because he’d repented?

Suddenly all the genuine anger and irritation he had toward this troublesome twig vanished.

Even the very trees hated him for what he’d done.

It made him want to laugh in despair. How could he make it right? There was no way to bring his Sister back now, if she was even alive to be brought back. He couldn’t blame the trees for their fury. He hated himself just as much for what he’d done, for the actions he could never take back.

The pinching fingers of his wife suddenly became a gentle squeeze. He turned and saw Mei’s brow slightly furrowed in concern.

He gave a slight shake of his head, his mouth curving up slightly.

Right. Now wasn’t the time to be morose and melancholy. Turning to the Fox he asked,

“What happened to your clan in Jianghu that you should be orphans?”

The fox’s whole body dropped, even if it’s five tails appearing to go lifeless. Her speech became sloppy and impolite (causal) as she recounted what had happened.

“A-a month ago, E-Evil Clans and Sects m-murdered our parents. They s-stole th-their cores, ch-chopped up their bodies, and a-absorbed their essence. T-they can’t even re-reincarnate n-now. Ooouu ouuuu!” The little fox’s eyes filled with tears, which dropped like crystals onto her soft paws. With a deep bitterness she continued, “Father and M-Mother are—were—nine and eight tailed f-foxes. S-Strongest in Jianghu! But who knew those Evil Clans and Sects would join forces? They ha-hate each other! N-no one exp-expected it! Wi-with so many and so su-suddenly, even my parents and all the adults did not stand a chance. On-only some us ch-children managed to—to escape and only—only because— because Mother gave up her life for— for us! Oouuu ouuu uuuu!”

This was too tragic to think about further, the little fox started to make a sobbing howl sound in her grief. The other little foxes also began to cry, some very human-like, but others in high tones similar to wild foxes. Nearby beasties and tree spirits who couldn’t bear watching the kits mourn, stepped out to comfort them.

Jin had always had a weak paternal instinct and wasn’t emotionally moved by the fox kit’s tale of woe. He was, however, interested in the information contained in it. He looked for Ye, who’d been curiously watching the whole series of events within the crowd below, and saw Ye tilt his head slightly to the side.

Ye’s voice whispered in Jin’s ear, as if the fairy was right next to him instead of below, “Fear of a common enemy united them? Shan Hui’s doing, perhaps?”

Jin kept his expression neutral. His eldest son had rarely been at home since his Mother had been in a coma. Half the time, Jin didn’t know where the boy was or what he was doing. If Shan Hui finally made it to the Jianghu Islands, there was a very high chance he was sowing mayhem and chaos amongst their enemies. And possibly anyone who’d annoyed him along the way.

Naturally Jin approved.